Selden p



(No Model.)

S. F. GIBSON.

PENCIL SHARPENER.

Pat nted May 4,1897,-

o A b W .llNv I E W M 9 SELDEN F. GIBSON, OF BIDDEFORD,

MAINE, ASSIGN OR OF TWO-THIRDS TO CHARLES E. ATWOOD AND SIMON S. ANDREWS, OF SAME PLACE.

PENClL-SHARPEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent N o. 581 ,883, dated May 4, 1897. Application fil d March 12, 1897. Serial No. 627,147. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SELDEN F. GIBSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Biddeford, in the county of York and State of Maine,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pencil-Sharpeners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which said invention belongs to make and use the same.

My invention relates to a device to be used as an aid to the sharpening of pencils when an ordinary knife is used for that purpose.

In order to sharpen a pencil nicely by the use of an ordinary knife, a person must be somewhat expert in handling a knife, and un less the point of the pencil in the operation of sharpening is rested on some solid substanceit is difficult to form a sharp point, and it is also difficult to avoid soiling the hands.

The objects of my present invention are to provide a rest for the pencil, a guide for the knife, by which an evenly-tapering point is assured, and a receptacle for catching the debris which falls from the pencilin the open ation of sharpening.

In accordance with the objects above expressed Iconstruct a pen cil-sharpener having a block on which the body of the pencil rests, an abutment for the point to bear against, and a trough or cutting-guide for steadying the pencil, said guide tapering toward said abutment and having inclined edges which guide the knife in making an even taper on the pencil.

As I prefer to construct it my device also has projecting ledges or channels on each side, hollowed out to catch the debris which falls from the knife.

I illustrate my invention by means of the accompanying drawing, in which is shown a perspective view of my pencil-sharpener with a pencil in position to be sharpened and show" ing also the cutting-blade of the knife in the act of cutting.

The device consists of a block A, to the top of which is secured a trough or cutting-guide cl, U-shaped in cross-section and adapted to receive and steady the pencil while it is being sharpened by the use of an ordinary knife, as g.

In front of the guide d is an abutment b, which rises above the level of the upper sur face of the block and furnishes a surface against which the end of the pencil will rest when it is being sharpened. The cuttingguide cl tapers toward the abutment, forming two inclined edges which guide the blade of the knife when in the act of cutting and assure an even taper to the point of the pencil.

As an aid to steadying the pencil and holding the block I extend the lower portion of the cutting-guide rearward and bend it down to form the handle f. The pencil 6 when in position lies on the top of the handle f, and in practice the thumb rests on top of the pencil and the forefinger is inserted in the handle, so that the pencil is held between the thumb and finger and the block held firmly in place. While the point is being sharpened the pencil may be slowly turned by the thumb.

In order to catch the debris which falls from the pencil, I extend the lower portion of the block laterally and channel out the projections, so as to form receptacles for catching the lead and shavings.

My device as thus made is a useful and convenient aid to the sharpening of lead-pencils. When in use, it is held down on a desk or table, the knife being passed back and forth over the edges of the cutting-guide at. As the material of the point is cut away the point or end of the pencil is gradually advanced until the pencil is pointed. A true and even bevel is thus secured.

The handle f may, if desired, be dispensed with and the bottom covered with rubber to prevent slipping.

The herein-described pencil-sharpener consisting of a block having thereon an abutment, a cutting-guide U-shaped in cross-section tapering toward said abutment, the lower portion of said guide being elongated rear- 5 ward and being bent to form a handle for holding the pencil and block in position.

S. W. BATES, E. M. BoEsEN. 

